At this year’s 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) invited visitors to reconsider what we value in wood. Their latest exhibition, No.1 Common, spotlights a grade of hardwood typically overlooked in Europe – full of knots, color variations, and expressive grain. In the hands of three forward-thinking designers, these so-called imperfections become the starting point for thoughtful, character-rich furniture that champions sustainability and celebrates the full potential of the tree.
Three designers – Andu Masebo, Daniel Schofield, and Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – each took on the challenge of working with No.1 Common wood, crafting pieces that highlight the material’s inherent quirks rather than concealing them. The resulting works offer not only aesthetic richness but a compelling argument for designing with what nature provides – blemishes and all.
Andu Masebo – Around Table
Andu Masebo – Around Table
London-based designer Andu Masebo approached the project with a social lens, designing a dynamic tablescape that evolves over the course of the exhibition. Made from No.1 Common red oak, the Around Table comprises eight curved segments that can be reconfigured into new shapes each day, creating a gathering space that’s as adaptable as the material itself. A set of semi-stackable stools in brown maple echo the table’s form and flexibility, completing a cohesive furniture family that invites connection, interaction, and change.
Andu Masebo – Around Table
Andu Masebo – Around Table
Andu Masebo – Around Table
Andu Masebo – Around Table
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
From Copenhagen, British designer Daniel Schofield brings a refined, practical elegance to No.1 Common with Common Room, a modular furniture system crafted from cherry wood. Comprising a table, bench, stools, and screens in varying heights, the collection addresses the growing demand for flexible, shared workspaces. Instead of hiding the knots, color shifts, and irregular grain often found in No.1 Common, Schofield leans into them, using butterfly joints with softened corners to embrace the material’s quirks and speed up production. The result is a quiet, confident collection that merges form and function with character-rich detail.
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Daniel Schofield – Common Room
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Hailing from Fjellhamar, Norway, designer Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng brings a sculptural sensibility to No.1 Common with her Kontur Series. Working with yellow birch, she explores the wood’s natural variation by laminating boards with different tones and grains, then carving into them to reveal bold, organic patterns. Inspired by the twisting forms of roots and branches, her cabinet and wall mirror play with contrast – rough yet refined, expressive yet minimal – echoing the exhibition’s celebration of imperfection as its own kind of perfection.
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Anna Maria Øfstedal Eng – Kontur series
Together, the three designers make a compelling case for embracing the full spectrum of what nature offers. When so-called premium cuts account for only 10–15% of a tree, it’s time to rethink how we value the rest. No.1 Common invites us to see beauty where we once saw flaws.
For more information on the No.1 Common exhibition, visit americanhardwood.org.
Photography by Thom Atkinson.
